Two weeks ago in my newsletter More Force, Less Growth? I told you that force isn’t the key to growth—
Duration is.

And the data backed that up.

But like everything in PE…

That wasn’t the full story.

The past month I have been running series of experiments.
Not to chase more force—
But to optimize how force is applied.

And to my surprise:

It wasn’t just how long I trained…
It was how I progressed force in that time.

Can more force be the solution? Sometimes, yes.
But only if it’s applied the right way—at the right time.

The Elongation Threshold

There’s a general rule in the PE world:

A session is only productive if it creates 2% elongation or more.

Now, some guys may grow with 1.5%.
Others may need closer to 2.5%.
But 2% is a solid benchmark for progress.

So I dug into my training logs to see if that was true.

Here’s a chart of my average session elongation vs. my weekly BPFSL growth during a previous training cycle:

Notice how the trendline intercepts zero BPFSL change at 1% elongation.
And once I averaged 1.5% or more, I didn’t have a single data point where BPFSL reduced.

So let’s lock that in:
Elongation is the driver of growth.
Your sessions need to generate 2%+ elongation to be productive.

My “Perfect” Session… Flopped

In More Force, Less Growth, I analyzed my last training cycle and found my supposed “sweet spot”:

• 6 to 8 pounds of force
• 80 to 110 minutes of duration

So I put it to the test:

I ran a session at 7 pounds the entire time, broken into 25-minute sets using a compression hanger.
Elongation was measured after each set.

Here’s the result:

1.8% elongation total.
Disappointing. Below threshold. Not productive.

That session should have worked.
But it didn’t.

So I asked:
What if it’s not just the weight…
Or the time…
But the way force is loaded during the session that matters?

That question kicked off 3 weeks of experiments that completely reframed how I approach training—and might do the same for you.

The Force Progression Breakthrough

What if the answer wasn’t just force or time?

What if it was how force progresses across a session?

Over 4 days, I tested a simple idea:

Start with light force. Increase by 1 pound every set.
Measure elongation after each one.

Here’s what I did:

And visualized:

Even though the sessions varied from 2–11 lbs, every session hit the same 3.3% elongation.
Time—not force—was the driver.

But the really interesting part?

The weight wasn’t held constant.
It was ramped up set-by-set.
Even better—starting at higher forces got me to 2% elongation faster.
Which suggested two important theories:

• Increasing Force Throughout The Session Creates More Elongation.
• Higher Forces Earlier in the Session Creates More Elongation Faster.

That’s when I realized I might be able to cut total time without sacrificing growth.

So I put these new theories to the test.

What if I increased force faster?

That led to Protocol 1.

Protocol 1 — Fastest Gains, But at a Cost

A brutal series of 5-minute sets, increasing force every time.
And it worked—fast:

3.7% elongation in just 50 minutes.

Insane efficiency.

But brutal.
By 70 minutes in I had hit 10.5 pounds and my dick was screaming.
I had soreness, crushed EQ, and needed a rest day.

While Protocol 1 was powerful…
It wasn’t sustainable.

So I refined it.

Protocol 2 — A Better Compromise

Next, I tested a variation:

Protocol 2 used the same 5-minute ramp-ups,
but with brief step-downs in force between sets.

It worked. Even better.

This gave my tissues a break between peaks, avoided early plateau, and reduced fatigue.

Result: 4.2% elongation in 95 minutes.

But this was still too hands-on.
It still required me to micromanage weights every 5 minutes.

I wanted something more sustainable.

Protocol 3 — The Gold Standard

Finally, I tested this:

Protocol 3. Ramp up force quickly for the first 30–40 minutes.
Then settle into longer holds in the 6–8 pound range.

This gave me 4.2% elongation again.
But now with less fatigue and micromanagement.

After repeating the protocol multiple times, I consistently got the same results.

What This Taught Me (and Should Teach You)

In More Force, Less Growth, I showed that trying to use max force from the start is a losing strategy.

But now we know:

• Force does matter
• But it must be progressed
• And it must serve a time-based strategy

Here’s the new lesson:

Use low-to-high ramping force to reach elongation faster…
Then ride the wave with moderate force and extended time.

Simple. Strategic. Sustainable.

Want to Train Like This — Without Guesswork?

This is the exact kind of protocol I coach clients through inside PE-201.

If you’re ready to stop winging it and start following a proven system that stacks gains then inside PE-201 you will get:

• A step-by-step system that guides you through developing your perfect PE protocol.
• Personalized coaching to troubleshoot, tweak, and maximize your growth.
• Gains Guarantee: If you don’t grow in 90 days, I coach you for free until you do

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👉 PE-201: The Proven System for Permanent Growth